Every person has that one friend who is an enviably chic host. It’s as inspiring as it is frustrating. They pay attention to the details you never would have even thought of.
Resuable place cards? How suave. A singular, oversized ice cube for short cocktails? How smart. Crispy chilli on the roast potatoes? Christ, she’s a genius.
We all want to be her, even though we’re sure if we tried we would probably combust. But what if becoming this kind of host is a process of attrition, one stylish item at a time?
Here’s 10 of the best products to help elevate your Christmas dinner table this year, with tips from some enviably chic individuals.
One day that could be you. Anything’s possible if you try.
1. Hurricane candle holders
These are a pick from tablescaping expert Samantha Picard, aka @tablescapeluvr on Instagram, who notes them as a current object of desire. “I have a little obsession with tapered hurricane candle holders at the moment,” she says, “the glass adds such a sexy and elegant shine to the twinkling candle, there’s less risk of fire hazard, and no wax drips onto my table or table linen which makes cleaning up so much easier.” Moreover, they are also a favourite of LPA founder and eternal hostess-with-the-mostess Pia Baroncini, who has stacks of hurricane candle holders at any event she hosts at home.
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Set of hurricane candle holders, £48, rebeccaudall.com
2. A bottle of hot sauce
In case you haven’t heard, Gen Z think that ketchup, mustard and brown sauce should die out, and now they want hot sauce with absolutely everything. Last year, one London retailer saw its hot sauce sales almost double, with a notable 150 per cent bump specifically around Christmas time. Looks like there’s a new condiment in town. Buy local from your farmer’s market, or Baj’s Blazin’ Hot Sauce is available in Waitrose. If you want to get a bit funky with it, Catalyst Cafe’s coffee sriracha is also a banger, and is approved by Crouch End sandwich expert (and condiment connoisseur) Max Halley.
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Coffee sriracha, £9, catalyst.coffee
3. Christmas tree sprigs as table decorations
The fashion set’s favourite florist Christie Leigh Chung advises using Christmas tree sprigs for table setting. “I'm obsessed with trimming my tree to the perfect shape,” she says, “so a clever use of the leftover trimmings is to place them as a table runner. I like to tie the tips of these branches together with a big red bow, repeating the process to make a long garland, allowing the bow to hide the seam of the branches. You could also use this on mantle pieces and staircases.”
Similarly, she advises a similarly verdant technique for wrapping presents: “A really nice detail is to add a herb like rosemary to your present wrapping, simply tied in where you would attach the tag, it really elevates the whole package.”
4. A very good knife
Chef and food writer Esther Clark says: “Get yourself a good knife to carve your meat. After hours of slaving away in the kitchen no one wants to look at a platter of turkey that looks like it got caught in your dad’s lawnmower! Even a good serrated knife doesn’t cost the earth — I like the large Victorinox serrated knife — that way you’ll be able to control the thickness of your turkey and ham slices easily. I got one for my mum a couple of years ago, and she talks about it at any given opportunity.” Clark recommends Victorinox’s serrated pastry saws.
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Victorinox serrated pastry saw, £54,59, kitchenknives.co.uk
5. A selection of pickles
If you’re not packing something pickled this Christmas, are you really in 2024? It adds a healthy dose of umami to the Christmas plate, which can otherwise taste a little one-note, and it’s great for your gut health. Anything from Vadasz Deli is worth copping, but the pineapple and turmeric sauerkraut (£4.75, waitrose.com) feels most festive-adjacent.
6. Post-dinner whisky to impress
Once the dinner is over, the hosting does not cease. In fact, what you serve after that can be just as important. Whisky writer Kristiane Sherry heavily recommends a bottle of Glenmorangie Signet Reserve, saying there’s “no better boozy treat for Christmas Day.”
“It's made using a chocolate malt barley usually reserved for stouts and porters which results in deep, dark, rich notes in the whisky,” she explains. “This indulgence is amped up even further because it's been finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. It offers an abundance of hazelnut, chocolate cake and cinnamon notes, all wrapped up in the creamiest silken texture with a dusting of freshly ground coffee beans on top.”
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Glenmorangie signet reserve, £345, glenmorangie.com
7. A meat thermometer
Just like Esther Clark warned with her high quality knife advice, messing up the meat on Christmas day can undo any and all efforts made to look like a good host. It’s falling at the first hurdle. That’s why a good meat thermometer is non-negotiable, especially if you’re cooking a meat you’re unfamiliar with this year. Wireless ones are ideal, and the Ninja ProChef wireless thermometer (£89.99, ninjakitchen.co.uk) was rated as a tried and tested Star Buy by BBC Good Food for 2024.
8. Ceramic table place cards
A good seating plan is crucial to any dinner — intersperse the interesting with the boring, the contentious with the calm, etc — but can often look so… handmade. That’s why Samantha Picard opts for reusable ones from Voi Collection. “I’ve been obsessed with all things Voi Collective this season,” she says, “[they sell] some of my favourite tableware that honestly is so much more well priced than others I’ve come across. I love their white ceramic place name sets because it’s such a chic and reusable way to write down your guests names.”
Ceramic table place cards set of four, £40, voicollective.com
9. A festive hamper
Remember, not all hosting happens around the dinner table. For breakfast and lunch treats, The Standard’s food writer Josh Barrie recommends going the whole hog and buying a hamper this Christmas, but specifically from Panzer’s Deli, near Regent’s Park. “Panzer's is one of London's oldest Jewish delis, an 80-year-old institution in St John's Wood,” he says. “The place might be best known for bagels and smoked salmon but you can get just about anything. At Christmas, there come hampers, filled with festive goodies, luxury treats and everything in between.”
10. A bloody good scented candle
While many may prefer for their homes to be filled with the scent of cooking, not every room needs to smell like meat and veg all day long. If your dining room is separate to your kitchen, or you want to build more a scentscape around your house, consider this suggestion from Picard: “I love L’artisan Parfuemeur’s L’Encens candle for when guests first walk in through my front door, scent is so important when hosting.”
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L’Encens candle, £78, artisanparfumeur.com
